Midlife Growth Is Continuing Without Certainty
Updated: Apr 18
Another Life at 40s by Sio
When we were younger, growth was visible.
In school, we moved up a grade and learnt new subjects each year. At work, we built skills and became more professional. I used to believe effort always led to results.
Then midlife comes, everything slows down. So slow, it feels like nothing is moving.
After injuring my back, I did stretches and did yoga every day. 1, 2, 3 weeks passed, still couldn’t walk without pain.
Learning Japanese felt the same. 1, 2, 3 months went by, still couldn’t remember much.
No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t improving. It was frustrating. I started to wonder if I was getting worse with age.
For the first time, I thought about giving up.
I used to believe that if something didn’t work once, I’d try 10 times. If 10 times didn’t work, then 100, then 10000. Eventually, it would lead to a good result. But as I grew older, I realized life doesn’t work that way. Too many things are unpredictable, and many outcomes are simply beyond our control.
Still, I continued. Not because I believed it would work, but because if I stopped, there would be no chance at all.
So I stopped expecting anything. I just kept going.
Then 4, 6, 8 months were gone. Then one day, I suddenly understood a Japanese conversation. I could walk for 30 mins without pain. That’s when I realized, progress hides in days that feel like nothing.
Midlife growth is continuing without certainty.
Not about patience. Not about persistence. Not even about believing. It’s simply that continuing is the only thing left to do.
Even I’m not sure if it’d work in the end, I can still choose to keep going.
Sio
Resetting life in Osaka after years in the UK, France, Spain, Canada & Argentina. Seeing Japan through a life time of stories.
